Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress... James 1:27

The Big House Children’s Ministry at State College Christian Church (SCCC) collected $800 during their summer day camp in June of 2006. At that time $800 was enough money to sponsor three orphans at the Chimemwe School for the Orphans in Ndola, Zambia. The generous sacrifice of those 40 children and the heart of John Banda, founder of Pregnancy Decision Health Centers in Zambia, gave birth to the idea of a new school in Ndola.

John sent profiles of 15 orphans and vulnerable children to Vince Smith the pastor at SCCC late in 2006. SCCC immediately fell in love with the children and soon all 15 were being sponsored by individuals and families. John Banda took this opportunity to open a school for these children in the Nkwazi compound (the poorest compound in Ndola). It was in February of 2007 that Vince Smith received an email with news that an official school had been started for these children. John Banda named the school State College Christian Church School for the Orphans. God was at work and the people at SCCC knew it. They started asking, “How can we continue to join God in this work?”

The church requested profiles of more children and with very little effort the school was filled to capacity with 59 children by August of 2008. Wow! What an awesome responsibility. People loving God translated into tangible sacrifices that led to the birth of the school. God made it clear to His people that they had been given the responsibility for the lives of countless orphans and vulnerable children in Ndola, Zambia. We knew we must take James 1:27 seriously which says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” A SCCC Zambia Team was formed. The church and this team were seeking God for direction in this project.

While we were humbled at the name of the school, we realized that SCCC School for the Orphans was not an appropriate name for the work that God wanted us to accomplish in Ndola. With the help of John Banda and the children at the school we enthusiastically agreed on a more appropriate name, Haven of Hope. This name truly represents what is happening in Ndola, Zambia. God’s love is being administered in tangible ways by His people, providing hope to many people in the community.

Three years ago there was no Haven of Hope School in Ndola, Zambia. Soon after there were 59 children being fed, educated, clothed, receiving medical care, and a hope that can only come from Jesus Christ. A team from SCCC visited Haven of Hope in June of 2007 when there were only 20 children being taught in a building without electricity, running water, or windows. It was a privilege to visit again both in January and July of 2008 after a new school building was secured that has running water, electricity, and windows for 45 children. These children, that we had met the year before, were visibly healthier. A year earlier they could speak no English and read nothing at all but now they were reading books and communicating in English. They grew, gained weight, and were much happier. This has only increased our passion for serving more orphans and vulnerable children with the same love these children are receiving. There are now 2 Haven of Hope Schools with 86 children being sponsored.